Executive Summary

There are four areas in which the financial industry can focus to improve their response to fintech.

What will the bank of the future be?

Banks Can Play the Fintech Game Too

Fintech, shortened from financial technology, is assumed to be a modern movement. Yet the use of technology to assist financial services is by no means a new phenomenon. Financial services is an industry that introduced credit cards in the 1950s, internet banking in the 1990s and, since the turn of the millennium, contactless payment technology. Yet, fintech’s place in the public conscience has really taken off in the past three years:

The takeoff of this term has come from startups—actors not within the inner circle of financial services, taking a more prominent role within the ecosystem. Three core trends have led to this movement emerging: Read more of this post

The following content, provided by Circa Interactive, was approved by me. The integration of military personnel into the civilian workforce is an important matter and so I share this in recognition of the United States’ Air Force’s birthday, today, September 18th, 2017.

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Today is the United States’ Air Force Birthday. This day is meant for celebrating this branch of military and the brave work they do for our country, but it is also a prime opportunity to take a look at what needs to be done to help these soldiers make a successful transition from active military to civilian life.

The need to ease that transition is as relevant as ever today — in 2015, there were approximately 1.46 million active U.S. military personnel. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, up to 27 percent of veterans experience considerable difficulties when returning to the workforce. The proportion is much higher for veterans who served in the military in the ten years following the 9/11 attacks. So what can be done to make a transition from active military to civilian life successful?

What Skills Do Veterans Bring Back into Civilian Life?

Veterans entering the workforce, return with many skills from their training and experience. These skills include: Read more of this post

Part 2 of 3: Online Etiquette & a Reminder, Multiculturalism’s Downside, and a Preview of Part 3

THIS (the messy enormity of this series) is one reason I hesitate to share my political views. More importantly though, there are professional risks. Potential backlash for unpopular views is why one shouldn’t incessantly try to elicit peoples’ opinions online, chase and put others on the spot, and put them at risk if they’re disinclined to volunteer information. Sure, they can avoid you but, the worst case scenario is, you’ll look like a jerk and make some enemies. As for why I’m sharing some views, I’m trying to prevent others from “barking up the wrong tree” because, per Part 1, there are movements and company cultures I’m incompatible with. That said, I’m content with obscurity. I’m not seeking to become a political thought leader or fame in general, so opponents can take heart that I won’t flood this blog with political posts.

Unfortunately, I’ve encountered a subset of older liberal folks (while taking notice of older liberals who don’t do this but, whenever this happens, it’s curiously never someone of any other political persuasion and this is not due to a lack of knowing older folks of other political inclinations) who try to get me to espouse or live up to their values and, in doing so, (1.) mistakenly assume I’m inclined to think as they do and (2.) are unaware that people my age have more to lose (than they do) as we’re in the midst of raising children or caring for aging parents and especially dependent on having work. Yes, it’s human to make mistakes.

More troubling, however, is that they care more about promoting their ideology and adding another warm body to their movement than they care about you, the individual, and whether you want to join their movement or not. These folks should also beware, if they aren’t already, that the consequences of publicizing political opinions are potentially harsher than before the Internet age.

With my attention focused on job hunting, wouldn’t it be nice for job descriptions to always succinctly communicate necessary information and be easy on the eyes in general? A long time ago, I had acquired experience writing job descriptions through an internship at a Human Resources consulting organization, so I know a guide like this one is quite handy for those who’re tasked with this. The following infographic provides 15 tips on writing an effective job description.

Like this:

Months ago I mentioned that I’d spend this past summer giving a new business venture a go and would report back on how this panned out. It wasn’t meant to be. However, this snag is another chance to learn and problem solve in order to transition to the next opportunity. Despite people telling me that I seem to have everything together, I understand what it’s like to struggle. For now, I’m focused on returning to the workforce, but at least fall season is the ideal time to search I hear.

However, between time spent inside my own head and working on the business, my networking efforts fell to the wayside, and this doesn’t set me up well for finding a job. Personal referrals are the way to go nowadays, what with hiring managers having to sift through piles of resumes. This is, by the way, a familiar problem that some introverts have. Well, I decided to act in accordance to the saying about sometimes having to spend money to make money (and no, I don’t think money is the root of all evil but I’ll return to this thought with my “politics in the workplace, etc.” series next week).

It can take around five months to sell a business. It is a significant commitment with many risks, in terms of juggling attention between ongoing operations and negotiating the sale. Enlisting the a professional M&A consultant’s assistance will help a founder to manage time, maintain their business, and maximize the economic outcome of the deal.

To help select an M&A consultant to work with, we will outline the steps of selling a business and, for each, outline the beneficial characteristics that a consultant can provide.

This article is written within the context of trying to sell a business (outbound), as opposed to fielding an unsolicited request to buy a business (inbound)

Prelude: Does the Founder Want to Sell?

The reasons for selling a business will first be defined by the owner’s personal situation and desires: Read more of this post

It’s been awhile since I posted “An OBVIOUS warning to political ideologues,” but I’ve decided to explain some of my views and experiences. My timing is terrible given the degenerating political discourse in the U.S., and I might be crazy to tarnish my clean “no politics” online image, but here we go. First, a story explaining my family’s culture of origin (Thai-Chinese):

One day I brought food from a new Thai restaurant I discovered near Sacramento, California for my mom to try. I’m not great at distinguishing the regional differences in Thai cuisine, but the food tasted “off” to my mom. She asked if the restaurant owner, whom I chatted with a few times by now, advertised which region of Thailand she was from. I responded, “No, but I can ask her next time.”

“No! Don’t!,” my mom yelled in alarm.

“Why not?,” I asked.

“That’s personal information,” my mom explained, “In Thai culture, you don’t ask this question of people you just met.” Further conversation with my mom revealed that asking where people lived and worked (though I already knew where the restaurant owner worked in this case) is off limits. Politics is also off limits. These are topics that are currently allowable in casual conversation for the average American (though past social norms dictated that politics and religion were off limits). A problem crops up when the average American doesn’t notice, or tries to change, the preferences of those who’re more culturally East Asian. Read more of this post

Key Highlights

Current market conditions are prime for selling a business. The market is experiencing high multiples due to plentiful dry powder held by private equity firms, record amounts of cash held by strategic corporate buyers, a low interest rate environment, and high prices for publicly-traded equities.

The time it takes to sell generally ranges from five to twelve months. The determining factors around timing include the size of your business and the dynamic balance between buyers and sellers in the market.

Valuations are more of an art than a science. The best business valuation methods typically involve cash-flow. Still, the three most commonly utilized valuation calculations are the discounted cash flow, market multiples, and asset valuation.

The best practices for maximizing shareholder value include the following:

Make sure the business can thrive without you. You need a management team or key employees that can continue to drive cash flow, especially if you plan to exit the business or will have limited involvement in day-to-day operations. You should also broaden your customer base so that the business is not at risk if a couple key customers leave post-sale.

Learn the dynamics driving acquisitions in your industry. Many business owners spend their time focused on keeping the business running instead of devoting energy to planning for its sale. Stay apprised of the motivations for financial and strategic buyers in your industry, as this can help you negotiate a higher exit value.

Hire the right advisors. Don’t do it alone. An experienced M&A advisor can market your company to a larger group of potential buyers than you can access on your own. Early engagement of an independent valuation specialist can provide a market check on valuation and allow you to incorporate value drivers into your pre-sale planning.

Examine and adjust operational efficiencies strategically. If necessary, it could be worth adopting efficient operating procedures before the sale. This may involve investments in new equipment or technology or changes in staffing.

Factor tax considerations into sale decisions. Decisions around how to sell your business (merger, sale of stock, sale of assets) should consider tax implications carefully. It is also important to anticipate changes in tax law.

Like this:

UPDATE Sept 30, 2017: There will be an extra blog administrator to help me run a tight ship in response to OFF-TOPIC blog comments (particularly of the political nature).

My readership is politically diverse and blog topics largely appeal to people no matter their location on the political spectrum. As such, this blog has been a change of pace for those taking a break from the yelling and screaming that is found everywhere else on the Internet.

You won’t find me taking snarky digs and getting in-your-face politically on other bloggers’ sites as I recognize another person’s right to a different opinion. I recognize another person’s personal boundaries better than some (evidently). So, I ask my readers to demonstrate the same respect I’ve demonstrated on their blogs. And since this is MY professional blog (as I’m the one paying for it the last time I checked), I’ve made my stance clear on attempts to bug me incessantly and the reasons why this blog is largely apolitical: Read more of this post

This article is for you, the plucky entrepreneur with an app idea in your heart and cash in the bank. Diagrams you’ve scribbled on cocktail napkins will disrupt the world, and dump trucks full of money have been dispatched to your house. To ensure timely arrival, here’s advice for making your production cycle run smoothly.

Why You Need A Project Manager In The First Place

“Computer programs are the most complex things that humans make,” says Douglas Crockford, a senior software architect at Paypal who has pioneered various cool technology. He is someone with expertise about working on large projects. Read more of this post